Specific JNK inhibition by D-JNKI1 protects Purkinje cells from cell death in Lurcher mutant mouse

In the Lurcher mutant mouse (+/Lc), Purkinje cells (PCs) selectively die due to the mutation that converts alanine to threonine in the glutamate ionotropic receptor GRID 2, thus resulting in a constitutively leaky cation channel. This intrinsic cell death determines a target-dependent cell death of granule cells and olivary neurons and cerebellum cytoarchitecture is severely disrupted in the adult Lurcher mutant. Although the +/Lc mutant has been widely characterized, less is known about the molecules involved in +/Lc PC death. We, here, used organotypic cerebellar slice cultures from P0 mice to investigate the role of c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) in +/Lc PC death by using D-JNKI1 as very specific tool to inhibit its action. Our results showed that D-JNKI1 treatment increased the number of +/Lc PC at 14 DIV of 3.6-fold. Conversely, this specific JNK inhibitor cell permeable peptide did not increase PC number in +/+ treated versus untreated cultures. These results clearly indicate that JNK plays an important role in +/Lc PC mechanism of cell death.